We’ve caught the new Volkswagen Passat testing numerous times but these latest spy shots give us our best look yet at VW’s new large estate car. The B9 generation Passat should be unveiled in 2023, in estate and hatchback form, with the saloon set to be ditched from the range.
The similarly-sized VW Arteon occupies the executive saloon segment for VW so the Passat saloon is unlikely to be continued. We’ve also only spotted test cars in estate body styles thus far.
These spy shots taken of a test car on the public road show the new Passat won’t signal a huge revolution in terms of exterior design. Details such as headlights that merge into a slimmer grille and strakes angled towards the door handles will be retained from the current car. The upper grille is closed off, which should help improve the drag coefficient. Lower down we can see a radiator grille, some fake fog lights and some large air intakes at the sides of the front bumper.
The Passat appears longer from the side, which will help distinguish it from the Golf – which has grown in its current eighth-generation guise. Towards the rear, individual rear brake light clusters are preferred over a rear light bar such as the ones found on the ID.4 and ID.5.
VW’s family car has been moved from its traditional home at Emden in Germany to make way for the ID.4 SUV and ID. Aero. Instead, both the Passat and next-generation Skoda Superb will be built in Bratislava, Slovakia, using the same platform. Several iterations of the MQB platform have emerged since the current Passat was launched with the next one set to use the latest MQB Evo underpinnings.
The Passat’s wheelbase is likely to be stretched to match the Superb’s 2.85 metres. While that should translate into more legroom for rear-seat passengers, the extra length will also go towards improving boot space, with the estate model in particular carving out a new niche for the Passat as the brand’s most practical non-SUV or commercial vehicle-based offering.
All-electric drive will be catered for by the upcoming production version of the ID. Space Vizzion, so the Passat can continue to meet the needs of buyers wanting a traditional power source.
The popularity of diesel in this segment has slipped over recent years, but the Passat could continue with TDI options. We should see the latest version of the brand’s 2.0 TDI turbocharged unit under the bonnet, in states of tune ranging from 148bhp to 197bhp. 4MOTION all-wheel drive will also be available and could appear in a revived Alltrack model.
Petrol power will play second fiddle, but will be an important bridge towards an expanded plug-in hybrid offering, with two options anticipated.
The entry-level eHybrid model will develop around 200bhp, but an even more powerful GTE model is also likely to go on sale, with a larger battery than the 13kWh unit used in the current Passat GTE. It would enable a much longer all-electric range, possibly up to 60 miles.
Matching the bigger pack would be improved recharging technology, with a move from 3.6kW to 11kW AC charging.
With the 2030 ban on internal combustion engined cars looming, the upcoming Passat could be the last offering with petrol or diesel in the UK.
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